Bound by Blood: Two Novellas of Paranormal Romance Read Online Free Page B

before Drake caught a glimpse of the building in front of them.
    A looming tower of silver panels, hulking in both size and architecture; Drake couldn't quite wrap his mind around it. They parked on the first level and Penny led Drake out of the garage, to the front of the building. "You have to see the whole exterior to really appreciate it. I never go in through the garage entrance."
    Drake paused, staring at the building before him. "This place – it looks like a recycling center. It's unreal."
    Penny laughed. "I can see that. Ready?"She pointed toward the door. "After you."
    He started up the steps and pulled open the heavy wooden door. Penny walked through with a curtsey. "So gentlemanly."
    "Show me your favorite exhibit."
    Instead of replying, Penny laced her fingers through his and dragged him to the stairs. "Up here."
    His head swiveled back and forth, trying to take in all the exhibits as they walked passed. Huge sculptures, vivid paintings. The space itself was a masterpiece with marble floors and looming gothic archways separating the rooms. The silence deepened as they left the majority of the crowds behind, eeking down a seemingly forgotten hallway.
    "Here." Penny tugged his hand until he stood beside her. "This is it – my favorite place in the museum."
    Drake craned his neck to read the American Modernism sign hanging from the ceiling above his head.
    "I love the feel of it all, the scope of the work. You know, this period in art developed during the Suffrage movement. I see a lot of that in the works. Georgia O'Keefe and Henrietta Shore were key in ushering the style in to the New York School."
    "And what kind of painting do you do?Like this?"He heard her heatbeat speed up as she thought about her craft.
    A quick headshake. "No, mixed medium abstract. In addition, I like huge canvasses, the bigger the better. I hate having constraints on my creativity."Her eyes flashed as she talked about her art, arms gestured wildly.
    "What kind of medium do you mix with your paint?Anything specific?"They wandered to a metal bench facing a wooden totem in the center of the room.
    "Whatever catches my eye?I pick up random things I find. I do like to use natural items – feathers, beehives, bark. However, I tuck a page from a book into each piece I make. It's my signature. Rather than sign my name, I make a paper flower from a book page."The cold metal bench only highlighted the inches separating them, echoing the empty ache in his stomach.
    "And you finished three paintings last night."Drake cocked an eyebrow. Need lingered in her, radiated out from her soul. Three paintings was a feat, but not enough to satiate her.
    "Three smaller pieces, but yeah, I finished three paintings last night. It was crazy. How many people know what you are?"
    He paused. "You."The gravity of her question weighed on him and he wondered exactly how much she knew.
    "Only me?"
    "Only you. People don't believe in anything anymore. The paranormal is something they read in books. They would rather think their success lies on their shoulders alone."He shrugged, tipping his head to the side.
    "But you're leaving Iron Vengeance?"
    "I think Iron Vengeance is leaving me. Let's just say Minneapolis has a certain appeal for me."Drake found himself leaning in as he spoke, completely invading Penny's personal space. "There's something I think we've forgotten."
    "Yeah?"Her words fluttered against his lips. He breathed her in and closed the gap, sealing her lips with his own. The effect was immediate. His dick went rock hard and his brain short-circuited. His only thought of how he had to have her right that minute, cold metal bench be damned.
    His hands threaded into her hair, like silk through his fingers. He clutched her to him, soaking up everything that was uniquely her. His hips rocked against her, a strangled moan escaped his lips. One hand trailed down her back, gripped her hip and crushed her against him.
    Penny gasped into his mouth, tongue sliding